Soothing Care for thin skin with Atzen Skincare

A product that does double duty to soothe eyes and lips is something we all could use no matter the time of year or the climate in which we live. And so, the Soothing Eye and Lip Gel from Atzen Skincare is a response to the need for a product that soothes two key areas of the face that are exceedingly prone to dryness and show the signs of ageing faster and in a more pronounced way than any other place on the body. As it stands, the skin around the eyes is three times thinner than facial skin, while the skin on our lips holds the trophy for having the thinnest skin on the body. Because lips have no oil-producing glands, they really are alone and out to sea, so it is a must that we hydrate and soothe them in the same way we brush our teeth and floss. You are flossing, yes?

Enter Atzen Skincare, a niche skincare brand that came into existence in 1991 and was founded by French-born Catherine Atzen, MBA, CIDESCO Certificate Holder and award-winning industry pioneer. After dealing with severe acne and other skin issues during her teenage years, Ms. Atzen’s professional career began when she worked with scientists researching skincare ingredients suitable for burn victims. Thereafter, as a result of that work and in conjunction with some of her peers in scientific research, she went on to develop an ingredient charter for the ‘founding products’ for her brand. At one point, she sold her company, then proceeded to repurchase it and re-formulate the products. As a result, Atzen now boasts usage of ingredients that are pharmaceutical grade and cosmeceutical grade and holds the cache of being recommended by health professionals and estheticians.

The Atzen Soothing Eye and Lip Gel has been my go-to morning time eye care since receiving the product. The ingredients in this soothing care are below:

In taking a closer look at a few of the ingredients, there’s a cocktail of patented and soothing elements such as calendula, allantoin, vitamin E and green tea. Allantoin is taken from the comfrey plant which has long been used as an anti-irritant to soothe and calm the skin. Calendula, which has been in use at least since the twelfth century, has also been conventionally used topically to soothe the skin, while it also helps to increase the level of hydration in the skin. If you enjoy red wine, then you’ve already encountered resveratrol, which is another one of the ingredients. The number of skin care products containing resveratrol has continued to steadily increase as more people become aware of its benefits. Apart from that, resveratrol is an anti-oxidant and helps to repair skin.

The initial pain point of this product for me was in opening it. It took me a few minutes to figure it out but once I did, I appreciated the fact that the container is airless, which always helps in keeping the product stable and sterile. After I’ve cleaned my face I like to spritz with thermal water but I quickly found that I should wait until the water is just about fully absorbed before applying the gel. So, now that I know better, the best way to apply this is to do so on a face that is dry for the most part and then tap it into the skin.

Before I jump into how the product worked for me, I should preface my findings by saying a couple of things. The first is that much of the way we age is determined largely by genetics, followed by lifestyle and habits etc., which I suppose is interchangeable. I’ve worked in the beauty industry and one of the key takeaways from years of training is that when it comes to the eye area, fighting genetics is largely a losing battle unless you resort to surgical and electronic procedures. No matter how well crafted the marketing for a product is, topical eye creams, gels and serums have a limited amount of power, yet with consistent use, well-formulated products can help to bring some degree of improvement to the skin.

My experience in using the Atzen Soothing Eye and Lip Gel has been a pleasurable one as I found it to be what I’ve been reaching for in the morning to iron out my sleep lines and to soothe my eyelids and under-eyes. I notice the gel also gives an instant tightening around the eyes to make me look awake faster. On the days I wear eye makeup, I can casually tap on a cream eyeshadow right over this soothing gel, or I can add eyelid primer over it for extra hold if I’m doing full-on eyeshadow and eyeliner.

In the morning I also bring the soothing eye gel past the immediate eyelid out to the area below where my eyebrows end and to the base of the orbital bone. Since using this, I now know that the value of the product largely comes from how quickly it works in the morning to take my eyes from looking like an accordion to being smoother. Dark circles are not a tremendous concern for me but lines definitely are, and this has helped. The soothing gel is also meant to be applied to the lips as a lipstick base and I can attest to the fact that it really does help to grip lip colours and increase their wear time. Consistent use of this soothing gel also helps to refine the skin on the lips and reduce lines and cracks. I tend to prefer a thicker texture lip soother and so I’ve been able to start with this gel and then top it with a thicker balm prior to applying colour.

There are some products floating around the market that help eyelids and eyelashes and this happens to be one of them. Since using this, I can say without hesitation that my eyelashes have definitely benefitted and gotten longer, which is a very happy occurrence indeed. If you are more interested in products that benefit the rest of the skin to combat things such as acne, or help with refining the skin on the rest of the body and are targeted towards cellulite and stretch marks or with sun-protection, Atzen has a large portfolio of products across five streams from which to choose. All of Atzen’s products are safe for sensitive skin, most are fragrance-free and the brand prides itself on being cruelty-free as well. Has using this soothing gel piqued my curiousity enough to venture deeper into the brand? Without question, especially since I happen to enjoy body-smoothing and body lifting creams and Atzen has a few from which to choose.

*This product was provided as a PR sample, the opinions expressed are my own.